VHS Gets A Fencing Club

This past spring, we brought you the story of Alex Klysa, a Verona High School student who lives and breathes fencing. Since that story ran, Klysa has been working non-stop to get fencing started as a club sport at VHS, which is the first step toward getting a full-fledged Hillbilly team some day.

Thanks to Klysa’s work, the VHS Intramural Fencing Club started this month. The club will consist of 90 minutes practices once a week for six weeks. The students who participate in the club will learn the basic footwork and blade work necessary for a beginner interested in fencing.

Fencing is getting a higher profile in the United States and New Jersey is leading the way. There are 60 teams statewide, including many of the schools that Verona faces in other sports, including Montclair, Montclair Kimberley Academy, West Essex, Millburn, Bernards, Gov. Livingston, Ridge and Columbia.

The students who participate in the club don’t have to buy any equipment: Klysa has secured a donation of used fencing gear from the Blue Gauntlet store in Bergen County. Students need only to show up for practice in appropriate attire such as T-shirt, sweatpants and sneakers.

“There should be no hesitation from any child over athletic ability,” says Klysa, a member of the class of 2015. “The point of the club is to try a new and exciting sport in a healthy and positive environment.”